The Eternal Heart

Outside the Sect Affairs Hall.

Peng, pop!

A finger and a fist crossed blows, causing a stream of air to vibrate throughout the surroundings, along with an assault of cold wind to the faces of bystanders. That impressive momentum alarmed many people.

Feng De, who was standing to the side, and even another man and woman, looked quite surprised. They could not help but take a few steps back.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two silhouettes abruptly confronted one another before they rapidly parted.

Chen Yu, who was amongst them, fell back beyond three meters. He lightly swayed on the spot as his face turned slightly red while his qi and blood raged.

However, he wasn't injured. He only felt a wave of stabbing pain on his fist. After the other party's gentle and reserved Inner Breath invaded him, his qi and blood became somewhat obstructed and did not flow smoothly.

But following after, a vigorous flow of heat prominently emerged from his heart, his qi and blood flowing smoothly a short moment later.

Chen Yu realized that after he had undergone the transformation of the mysterious heart, his body's resistance against Inner Breath attacks had increased to a certain extent.

On the other side, Ding Jiuhui took a few consecutive steps backward but steadied himself very quickly. Surprisingly, his finger was drooping a little.

It would appear that he had slightly gained the upper hand.

It was just that Ding Jiuhui gradually had a grave expression on his face as he forcibly concealed a hint of vigilance.

"I never would've thought that Younger Martial Brother Chen was actually someone who kept his strength to his own. Not only is the maturity of your boxing technique astonishing, but you also have a 'natural divine force' running through your whole body."

Ding Jiuhui squeezed a hint of a smile on his face.

He had already circulated seventy percent of his Inner Breath in that confrontation just now, yet his finger was still faintly numb until now as a result of that.

"Martial Brother, please go easy on me. Younger Martial Brother really suffered hidden losses from that finger of yours a moment ago."

Chen Yu massaged his hand and took the opportunity to let the other party extricate himself.

In the sect, it was necessary to appropriately display certain power and strength.

It could be seen that Ding Jiuhui's attitude towards Chen Yu had undergone a complete 180-degree change from the beginning of the confrontation to the end.

"Haha! So, our team is all accounted for." Ding Jiuhui let out a small sigh of relief.

He was skeptical about what Chen Yu said as well.

It was reasonable to say that his cultivation at the Connective Meridian Stage and his formless yet gentle and reserved Inner Breath was sufficient for the other party to sustain minor injuries.

But a thought flashed in his mind: If Chen Yu didn't suffer losses in that previous confrontation at all, then this person was hiding too many things from everyone...

Naturally, he soon dispelled such an unrealistic thought from his mind.

"With Martial Brother Chen participating, our odds of success are even greater."

That young man with the pockmarked face was also all smiles as he greatly held restraining fear towards Chen Yu's strength.

Only Feng De looked somewhat embarrassed, acting rather awkwardly.

"Is everyone all accounted for?"

At this moment, a lukewarm voice belonging to a young man could be heard coming from beside Chen Yu.

Hmm?

Chen Yu's heart trembled. He only sensed the other party the very instant that the individual revealed himself.

A charming young man with long flowing hair, who was carrying a long bundle on his shoulder, appeared in front of them.

"Younger Martial Brother Le!"

One after the other, Ding Jiuhui and the others gave their greetings to him in an extremely polite manner.

"Big Brother Le Feng, you finally arrived."

The eyes of that slim young lady, who had been depressed from the beginning, shone as ripples of extraordinary splendor could be seen while she spoke in a soft and pleasant voice.

Le Feng! He was that Le Feng?

Chen Yu had a startled expression on his face as he promptly made his salutations to this charming young man.

As for that "Le Feng" before his eyes, he was one of the countable geniuses in the outer sect.

Chen Yu remembered that the other party had entered the sect a whole half a year later than he did, yet he broke through to the Connective Meridian stage within a brief year's time!

It was said that Le Feng's current cultivation was at the middle of the Connective Meridian stage at the very least!

In terms of age, the other party was even younger than he was!

Chen Yu could not help but feel deep veneration when faced with this kind of genius.

"Oh, so you're that Martial Brother Chen Yu?"

Le Feng's gaze lingered on Chen Yu's face for an instant, and appeared to be slightly interested.

Chen Yu could not help but feel gloomy. It seemed that he had no way of removing the hat he was wearing of "living off of a woman" within a short period of time.

There was nothing he could do about it.

Mu Xueqing's reputation in the outer sect really was too great. She had the halo of being heaven's favored daughter, and the number one beauty of the outer sect, so it really did give him a headache, having such a relationship with her.

"Martial Brother Chen, don't misunderstand."

Le Feng faintly smiled, but explained soon after, "Mu Xueqing's beauty and innate skill is breathtaking. She was once this Younger Martial Brother's rival, but due to some reasons, she recently entered the inner sect ahead of time."

So that was the case.

As one of the geniuses of the outer sect, Le Feng and Mu Xueqing had once stood on the same stage in a competition of skill.

That slim young lady appeared to worship and defend Le Feng very much.

On the other hand, Le Feng waved his hand and entered the main topic of discussion.

The captain was Le Feng, while the deputy captain was Ding Jiuhui.

The four members under them were Chen Yu, Feng De, the young man with the pockmarked face, and the slim young lady respectively.

A total of six people.

Chen Yu appeared to be rather surprised. An impressive lineup had actually been consolidated for this mission of hunting the Metal Brown Bear.

Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui were both at the Connective Meridian Stage in the team. The former in particular was considered to be a front-ranking genius amongst the outer sect disciples.

Even though the four other team members weren't at the Connective Meridian stage, they were all at the peak Body Tempering stage!

A few moments later, the team of six had received a small team mission from the sect's Affair Hall and were discussing a few particulars regarding the mission.

Half a day later.

A party of six riding horses arrived at the border under Yunyue Sect's influence. It was a mountain range that undulated and extended forever into the distance.

"This is 'Yunyuan Mountain Range', which links all the neighboring countries. It is only a small area nearby under Yunyue Sect's jurisdiction, but it's actually a neutral yet dangerous forbidden area!"

Le Feng took the lead and dismounted from his horse.

Chen Yu slightly heard about the written accounts of legends regarding the "Yunyuan Mountain Range".

It was rumored that an ancient beast that was still alive from ancient times existed in the depths of the mountain range. It possessed frightening strength that could topple the mountains and overturn the seas, as well as exterminate sects and nations.

Many years ago, the super-powerhouses in all of the neighboring countries had once joined hands and conducted an operation to suppress the terrifying existence in the depths of the mountain range. A world-shaking battle had occurred as a result of that.

As for the final outcome, that was unknown to anyone.

The present situation was such that as long as humans didn't venture too deep into Yunyuan Mountain Range, they wouldn't run into the legendary terrifying existence.

"Based on the information given in the mission, that Metal Brown Bear should be nearby. We don't need to venture that deep."

Le Feng dispelled their worries.

After all, Yunyuan Mountain Range was a well-known forbidden area. If they were to venture deeply in there, these outer sect disciples were simply inadequate to plug the gap between the teeth.

Roar!

A few tigers and panther-like land beasts scuttled over when they had just entered the mountain range for a moment.

Fortunately, these were only ordinary land beasts.

Those at the Body Tempering stage could deal with normal tigers and panthers with ease, so it wouldn't pose that much of a danger to their lives.

Willow Nether Finger!

Ding Jiuhui was as light as a feather when he briefly touched the head of a leopard with his finger. Woo, hoo. The latter whimpered and took its last breath before it died.

Before those at the Connective Meridian stage, all it took was a single move to kill ferocious beasts that ordinary people were frightened of in an instant.

After all, those at the Connective Meridian stage managed to cultivate their "Inner Breath" that could intrude into an individual's body and crush their vital parts, such as internal organs and blood vessels. Ordinary bodies of flesh were simply incapable of resisting it.

Comparatively, Feng De, the young man with the pockmarked face, the slim young lady, and the rest normally needed to deal two to three hits before they could only dispose of a land beast of the tiger or panther-type.

Under such circumstances, the disparity between the Connective Meridian stage and the Body Tempering stage was undoubtedly visible.

"Get lost!"

Chen Yu smashed a ravenous wolf on the head with his heavy fist as the latter's head immediately ruptured, causing blood to splatter on the spot.

Even if he couldn't kill normal land beasts with a single punch, he could cause serious destruction and make them lose their fighting strength on a fundamental level. This was still under the circumstances wherein he hadn't unleashed the [Metal Plow Fist] at its perfect form.

Le Feng had a look of admiration on his face and took a second glance at Chen Yu when he saw the strength he displayed.

"We're about to reach the Metal Brown Bear soon."

Le Feng led the way in front as the land beasts that approached him were either sent flying or died in a flash. It was very difficult to see their movements clearly.

Soon enough, the six of them overturned a mountain peak as a forest appeared before their eyes. A few caves could faintly be seen nestling up against the forms of mountains.

Chen Yu's sight exceeded that of an ordinary person's after his constitution had undergone a transformation. He faintly saw a few thick footprints in the mountain forests that surpassed humans and ordinary land beasts.

"It's nearby. Get ready everyone."

Le Feng took out a small pot of honey and threw it on top of a region of hills.

Since everyone didn't bring tools with them, they couldn't craft pitfalls to ambush the Metal Brown Bears. As such, they could only set up simple baits. Besides, normal traps and ordinary knives were simply useless when faced with this type of existence like the Metal Brown Bears that could be classified in the ranks of ferocious beasts.

Oh, roar!

It had only been five minutes when two tall brown bears leaped out of the trees. They were close to three meters in height and could practically be compared to a small one-story house.

Those two enormous dark-brown shadows roared as they pounced over. The insects in the region nearby scuttled everywhere in fear as they fled under the presence of the formless yet vicious beast aura radiating from them.

"This is the Metal Brown Bear. It's so big…"

The scalps of Feng De and the slim young lady, who were slightly weaker, went numb as their legs trembled slightly.

This was the first time they had encountered ferocious beasts of this size. After all, they were outer sect disciples who did not have that much experience.

"There are two. They're even larger than I imagined."

There was a slight change in Le Feng's complexion.

Based on the description of the mission, a single Bear Gall belonging to a Metal Brown Bear of this size could be exchanged for forty or fifty Contribution Points.

"Everyone, attack!"

Le Feng and Ding Jiuhui exchanged a glance and parted their separate ways to face a Metal Brown Bear.

Chen Yu and the three others at the Body Tempering stage divided into two groups according to plan, supporting the two leaders at the Connective Meridian stage respectively.

Ding Jiuhui, Chen Yu, and Feng De were divided into one group to deal with one of the Metal Brown Bears.

Le Feng, the young man with the pockmarked face, and the slim young lady formed the other group.

However, the result of the initial confrontation was awfully not ideal and even made one feel frightened.

"Willow Nether Finger!"

Ding Jiuhui swayed as he shifted to the Metal Brown Bear's side. With a tap, his finger briefly touched the center of its back.

The center of the Metal Brown Bear's back was already a few meters above the top of his head.

Plop!

That Metal Brown bear's enormous body only swayed from it. The attack did not actually pose to be a great obstruction at all. Soon after, a pair of bear arms waved about carelessly as a gale erupted.

"Careful!"

Ding Jiuhui could dodge this attack with his speed.

Ah!

But Feng De, who was to the side, loudly cried out and couldn't dodge in time. As such, he put up a hard resistance in facing the Metal Brown Bear's attack.

In the next moment.

Bang, whoosh!

Feng De turned into a black shadow and was sent flying several meters away. He collided into a mountain wall and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Feng De was slapped on the face and was sent flying when they just met face-to-face!

On the other hand, Chen Yu responded abnormally quickly by rolling on the spot and dodging that hairy thick bear's arm.

"How dangerous!"

Chen Yu secretly wiped off a handful of cold sweat.

If it wasn't for the fact that his body had gone through the transformation of that mysterious heart and had a large improvement in his speed and ability to react, he might be like Feng De and had to put up a hard resistance.

On the other side, the situation Le Feng's trio met wasn't optimistic either.

Bang!

The slim young lady had a cheerful expression on her face when she brandished a silver whip and coiled it around the leg of another Metal Brown Bear.

The Metal Brown Bear was suddenly enraged due to it. The wind whistled from all around as it roared and grabbed the silver whip.

"Quickly release it!"

Le Feng loudly warned, but it was already too late.

In the next moment, the Metal Brown Bear grabbed hold of the slim young lady, who held the silver whip, flinging her up into mid-air. Its bloody mouth opened wide like a sacrificial bowl that could be compared to a python as it ferociously bit the young lady, who was unbalanced in mid-air.

"Ah…"

The young lady's shriek resounded between the mountains and fields.